Global Africa Wind &Nbsp; World Cup Combustion Supporting Fashion Influence

Diane vonFurstenberg created a "tribal tattoo desert sugar" dress for summer; Dries Van Noten used Lamu and Zanzibar Ikat fabrics; in March, Alber Elbaz displayed the beautiful feather Bead Necklace in the 2010 autumn and Winter Conference.

Africa is not alone in visual inspiration. Elbaz's work is inspired by talks with UN officials who want to launch projects in sub Saharan Africa. And von Furstenberg, in March, she held the world women summit in New York. The participants included Hilary Hillary (Hillary Clinton), Meryl Streep, and female representatives from Nigeria and Liberia.

Fashion professionals are increasingly using authentic African technology in high-end fashion. As Olowu said, "some technologies, such as dyeing or PEG, are not imitated, and they are recognized by real designers and consumers." {page_break}

Edun is a famous national brand with African elements. The brand new designer, Sharon Wauchob, has just returned from East Africa. She was moved by that sense of freshness: "we have been to India and found many trends, but in Africa, there are many crafts that have not been explored."

Wauchob said that at the September New York conference, "metal and beads" will appear in her series. At the same time, Edun launched a "World Cup" mini line, including T-shirts produced in Africa, with a soccer theme. All revenues will be used for cotton protection in Uganda.

Stephanie Hogg, founder of Sierra Leone NearFar, believes: "it is possible to create sustainable employment opportunities and use the creativity of Africa to meet western demand for fashion." NearFar makes printed sportswear and mini skirts for sale at Anthropologie chain store.

Holly Hikido has been a fashion buyer of Barneys New York. Now she travels to Italy and Addis Ababa, and works for scarves. The scarf is as light as feather, and the brand is "Sami made in Ethiopia". Her scarf was very popular in the United States, says her past colleague, Barneys's senior vice president and fashion director Julie Gilhart.

Max Osterweis works with Erin Beatty, a Gap designer, to operate Suno in New York and Kenya. He also agreed: "the idea of Suno is to create an international flavor of clothing, so that the tailor of Kenya has a long-term job."

Mrs. Obama is one of the clients. Carol Lim of New York opening shop is also a fan: "I like Suno, because that bright color makes me feel energetic." When consumers know that the brand is produced in Nairobi, they will feel that buying is very meaningful.

ITC's fashion ethics program helps big brands build contacts with local businesses. ITC is the abbreviation of the international trade center, co founded by the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. The project is run by Simone Cipriani, who has many years of experience in Italy fashion industry. The project is committed to providing long-term employment opportunities.

Participating in this project is Luisa Laudi, creative director of MAX&Co (Max Mara group's brand and young consumers). "Working with artisans in the Kenya slums is very complicated, not like making accessories in Italy," she said. But this is not charity. The accessories are excellent and can meet our production standards. "

But Cipriani also warned: "if fashion companies fail to fulfill their commitments, the damage will be very serious. Some small producers abandon their business and work with outsiders, and end up in nothing. The result is very cruel. They starved. "

ITC's long-term project is aimed at alleviating African fashion damage. "The world, including the fashion world, has reached unprecedented levels of globalization," Olowu said. I think Africa's influence is not only a trend issue. Now it has become a melting point. "